The Houston Rockets’ 2025-2026 season gave the franchise a little bit of everything, from star power at the top to fast-rising talent across the roster. If you’re handing out team awards, Kevin Durant sits at the center of the conversation.
In his first season with Houston, Durant was the clear-cut MVP of the group. He put up 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists across 78 games, earning an All-Star nod and a spot on the All-NBA Second Team. The 37-year-old also led the Rockets in scoring and finished fourth in the NBA in total points, trailing only Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jaylen Brown.
Durant’s value went beyond volume scoring. He posted a 52.9% clutch field goal percentage and landed in the top 10 in Clutch Player of the Year voting for his work in late fourth-quarter situations. Even though he missed most of Houston’s first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, his availability was otherwise exceptional, and his play should leave the Rockets’ front office thinking in win-now terms to make the most of the championship window.
On the defensive side, Amen Thompson stood out as Houston’s top stopper. With 79 starts, 1.5 steals, and 3.8 defensive win shares, he earned the edge over the other candidates.
His versatility and disruptive energy made him a central piece of the Rockets’ defense, and his 2,953 team-high minutes underline just how much he mattered. The 23-year-old also finished in the top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting for a second straight season.
Reed Sheppard’s second season was the kind of leap that gets attention fast. Drafted third overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, he had a quiet rookie year with averages of 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 52 games while playing 12.6 minutes per night.
But after Fred VanVleet suffered a season-ending injury before Opening Day, Sheppard was pushed into a much bigger role and delivered 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists over 82 games. He also shot 39.4% from three and averaged 1.5 steals per game, good enough for a top-10 finish in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Alperen Sengun remained Houston’s frontcourt engine. The comparison to Nikola Jokic fits because of the way he creates for others, and last season he averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 72 games.
That made him the Rockets’ leader in both assists and rebounds. Among centers, only Jokic finished with more total assists.
His passing, short-roll work, shot fakes, and movement in transition helped power an All-Star season in February.
Jabari Smith Jr. offered steady production even if the national spotlight wasn’t as bright. Over 77 games, he averaged 15.8 points and 6.9 rebounds in the regular season.
There are still questions about whether the 23-year-old can reach an All-Star ceiling, but he gave Houston important consistency at power forward. In the playoffs, he averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds over six games while the team dealt with several major injuries.
Another Thompson also made a strong case as one of the Rockets’ most exciting young players. Known for his speed, explosiveness, and versatility, he averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists over 79 games, and that production helped him finish eighth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. His scoring has climbed year after year, and last season only strengthened the idea that he’s becoming one of the NBA’s most intriguing rising guards.
In Other News...
Amen Thompson Could Force A Rockets Core Decision Soon
The Rockets next few seasons could be shaped as much by the ledger as by the box score, with Amen Thompson looming at the center of a decision that will test how far the front office wants to push its current core. Thompson is in line for an extension, while Houston also has to account for Fred VanVleet, Kevin Durant, Marcus Smart and Reed Sheppard, a group that already puts the roster construction under real strain.
What makes the situation tricky is not just talent evaluation, but the way the salary cap landscape can box a team in if it keeps piling on expensive commitments. The second apron functions like a virtual hard cap, and for the Rockets, that means every move could come with a downstream cost. At some point, the question may stop being who fits and start being who can stay. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Davis Rumors Put Rockets Ceiling In A Very Different Light
Anthony Davis is already on the move again in the NBA rumor mill, and the latest twist has the Houston Rockets watching from a distance. After a whirlwind stretch that sent him from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks and then on to the Washington Wizards, Davis and his new team have agreed to wait before diving into extension talks. The idea is simple enough: let the season begin, see how the roster functions, and sort out the long-term picture once there is a clearer sense of where things stand.
For Houston, the intrigue is obvious. The Rockets have been building toward a bigger jump, and any conversation about Davis naturally changes the way their ceiling is viewed if Washington gets off to a rocky start. There is already speculation that a slow opening in Washington could lead to more trade chatter, with Houston among the teams mentioned as a possible landing spot, which is the kind of development that can shift a contenders timeline in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]